The Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has said that the nation’s current security architecture cannot guarantee effective policing and address the array of security challenges confronting the country.
Akeredolu posited that having a single command in Abuja to oversee the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory cannot ensure effective tackling of the issues affecting policing in Nigeria.
The governor stated this at a virtual panel discussion on the #EndSars protest that occurred last year in Akure, the state capital.
The panel discussion, which was hosted by the University of Notre Dame, is part of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies lecture series.
The lecture brings prominent scholars and practitioners together to offer insights and promote interdisciplinary discussions among students and faculties on issues of critical importance to the world.
Speaking on “Constitution and the Rule of Law prescribe the working mechanism of the State Security Outfit vis-a-vis the rights of the individuals”, Akeredolu explained that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees the rule of law and fundamental human rights.
He, however, said such rights can be suspended or abridged during social or political upheavals, adding that the state must maintain law and order in a period of pervasive crisis or violence.
Pointing out that there is no absolute right, the Governor re-emphasized that basic rights can be suspended for peace which is the collective interest of the people.
Akeredolu, who noted that there was no consistent policy conceived to address the security issues that have festered for a while, stressed that the #EndSars protest exposed one of the numerous crises facing the county.
